3D Dot Game Heroes coming to PS3 in America
3d Dot Game Heroes is coming to America “definitely” announced Sony via their Twitter account. Writing specifically: “No need to import - 3D Dot Game Heroes for PS3 is DEFINITELY coming to NA! Spread the word, more to come.”
So what is this strangely-named game?
It’s a classic-styled RPG that is made-up entirely of 8-bit sprites rendered in high-resolution 3D using the power of the PlayStation 3! The result is a stunning, incredibly artistic, blocky game that looks both intriguing and strange on first glance.
The game itself is actually an RPG that plays on it’s whole graphical look by having a kingdom who king decal ares that the world will be 3D from now on after successfully conquering the evil Demon Lord. However things don’t go quite as planned.
Take a gander at the screens below to see this interesting PS3-exclusive in action. It releases in Japan this month.
The game also features some amazing loading screens which are homages to classic Japanese videogame box artwork using the game’s unique graphics! Below you can see pictures of the loading screens which resemble everything from Final Fantasy to Mega Man to Chrono Trigger!
And last but not least, here is a trailer showing the game in MOTION!
No comments »Mass Effect 2 Special Collectors Edition revealed
Bioware has announced Mass Effect 2: Special Collector’s Edition, which will release alongside the normal edition of the game on January 26, 2010 (January 29 in Europe) for Xbox 360 and PC. It will cost $70 on Xbox 360 and $60 on PC.
So what comes with this collector’s edition? Nothing too out of the ordinary but it should still keep fans happy.
Here is what comes in the Special Edition package:
* Premium Tin Case.
* 28-Page hardcover “Art of Mass Effect 2″ book.
* Issue #1 of the Mass Effect Redemption comic book.
* Bonus DVD with behind-the-scenes “The Making of Mass Effect 2″ videos.
* Exclusive in-game weapons and armor.
“We’re really excited to roll out this Collectors’ Edition featuring so many unique items, including special Collectors’ Edition armor and weapons and content that will surprise Mass Effect fans,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder, BioWare and Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group of EA. “The limited edition comic book and bonus DVD will really enhance and expand the overall Mass Effect 2 experience.”
The Mass Effect trilogy is an emotionally charged science fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life and mysterious, uncharted planets. In Mass Effect 2, players will once again step into the role of the heroic Commander Shepard, commanding their crew of some of the most dangerous operatives from across the galaxy on a mission so challenging that it’s potentially suicidal. Featuring intense shooter action, a rich futuristic storyline, space exploration and emotionally engaging character interaction, the game delivers an unparalleled cinematic experience.
Here is the latest developer diary for Mass Effect 2, which takes a look at the enemies in the game.
Spore Islands strategy game launches on Facebook
Spore Islands for Facebook is an all-new version of the popular PC game from The Sims creator Will Wright. Unlike the PC version of the game though, this new game is a strategy game.
In Spore Islands, players create a creature of their own design from appearance to stats, then place it on an island to see how it fares against other wild creatures. These survival of the fittest scenarios are called Observations, and they test the evolutionary advantages and disadvantages of the creature you created.
If the creature outlives the others during the 150 turn Observation (during which, you cannot control your creature), then its well-evolved to that island. If your creature dies, Spore Islands will offer up suggestions on how to use each day’s 12 DNA points to alter its attributes. These changes also change the look of your creature. For instance, increasing the creature’s “threat-detect” gives it multiple eyes as “food-detect” makes a single eye.
The strategy comes in balancing the 12 DNA points between the stats while considering the island you are on and the creatures you will face. Naturally you can also test your creature against friends on their island or invite them to come to yours and so on, as you’d expect from a social network game. It also allows users to purchase extra DNA points (with actual cash) for further customizing their creatures.
The game is available now for free to play for any FaceBook users that add the App.
Via TechCrunch
POP movie trailer looks promising
A new official Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time movie trailer has been released and boy is it stunning!
Actually, the film looks very reminiscent of the kind of high-quality, epic film as Pirates of the Caribeean. Thanks no doubt to the endless stream of money available to producer Jerry Bruckheimer due to the success of those films.
I also love how the Prince of Persia film seems to take some cues from Assassin’s Creed as well. One of those early scenes almost looks like it was ripped straight out of the Assassin’s Creed games.
The movie looks like it is staying as true as you can expect to the game. And that is a very surprising, and very nice, surprise.
The move is set for release on May 28, 2010.
Star Trek Online release date is February 2, 2010
Star Trek Online will be released for the PC on February 2 in America announced developer Cryptic and publisher Atari. It will be released in Europe on February 5th, 2010.
This confirmation follows Amazon.com and GameStop listing the February 2nd release date on their pre-order pages earlier in the week as well as producer Craig Zinkievich telling Eurogamer that the game would be released in early 2010.
Set in the year 2409, Star Trek Online allows players to immerse themselves in the future of the Star Trek universe, exploring strange new worlds, seeking out new life and new civilizations in an ever expanding vast universe. Command a starship as a Federation or a Klingon Captain, outfit it with custom systems and recruit, train and mold a crew into an elite force for exploration and combat. Missions take players into thrilling space battle, planetside for face-to-face combat and even inside starships.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Multiplayer Beta exclusive to PS3
The multiplayer beta for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will be exclusive to the PlayStation 3 announced publisher Electronic Arts.
The beta will start on November 19 and you can sign up for the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 PS3 beta at the official Battlefield website.
“This is an outstanding opportunity for PlayStation gamers to get early access to one of the most action-packed and polished shooters in the marketplace,” said Sony CEA Senior Vice President of Publisher Relations Rob Dyer.
Featured in the beta will be a 24-player map called Arica Harbor that will showcase the revised Rush mode. This map takes place in Chile which is a completely different environment than the Russian.
Although this beta is exclusive to the PS3, there will still be a beta for the PC in December. There’ll also be a multiplayer demo for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC early next year.
Here is the announcement trailer.
Via 1UP
Dishwasher Dead Samurai 2 images leaked?
Screenshots of Dishwasher 2 (That is, The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai 2) have leaked onto the Internet from what seems to be a playable version of the game.
This would be the sequel to the hit original Dishwasher: Dead Samurai action platform game that was created by James Silva and released for the Xbox 360 Arcade.
You can see the rest of the Dishwasher: Dead Samurai 2 screenshots at 1UP. Although they are covered by some dude’s name.
Either way it doesn’t confirm anything, but I would expect that Dishwasher: Dead Samurai 2 will be released sooner rather than later given how far along the game looks in the screens.
Nintendo President expects it will take 20 years before digital distributation replaces retail
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has spoken out about the downloadable future of videogames. According to him, he believes that it will take the market around 20 years before digital distribution of videogames replaces the physical in-store market.
To quote Iwata:
“On a rough analysis basis, the connection ratio of Wii is around 35%, in the Japanese market. And that of DS is probably, 20% or so. It had increased with the measures like Nintendo Zone with McDonald’s to lower the hurdle for connection, but has not reached the 30% mark. …Most radical people even dare to say that retailers will be replaced by digital distribution in no time. But personally, I think it will still require a significant amount of time. In other words, it will require many years and months for the majority of video game purchase to become digital. In short, in 20 years or so I might say it will have probably changed. But in 5 years or so, I do not totally agree with opinions that no one will purchase titles at retailers by then. Habits of life do not change such radically and quickly. Especially for the expanded audience of various people, to whom we are and will be trying to appeal, I believe their habits will change more slowly.”
As a lot of people have been discussing in regards to this issue, 20 years is more likely for a Nintendo system, but Microsoft and Sony will probably be at full digital distribution by the next-generation of consoles. Especially with Sony’s PSP Go already being fully digital, and Xbox 360 offering digital downloads for full Xbox 360 games with their Games on Demand service.
Via Go Nintendo
Game Boy joins Strong National Museum’s Toy Hall of Fame
The Game Boy was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame in what has to be a huge honor for Nintendo in recognition of the cultural impact of world’s most popular handheld system of all time.
Joining the Game Boy for 2009 were also two more ancient “toys”, these include “The Ball” (in all it’s forms) and the “Big Wheel”.
According to the Strong National Musuem Toy Hall of Fame, the Game Boy was chosen because it was “an innovator and changed the way people play electronic games. It popularized the handheld, mobile game devices.”
Here is what the musuem had to say about “The Ball”, which follows on the heels of “The Stick” from last year. “Roll it, throw it, kick it, catch it, bounce it, or bat at it, the Ball is as old as civilization itself. It has, in fact, been depicted in ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman drawings and continues to provide opportunities for free play among people of all ages. Baby’s first toy may be a soft and safe Cloth Ball, older children play Kickball on the playground, and a grown-up’s reward for a week’s work may be a round of Tennis or Golf. Today, we even set aside physical spaces - baseball stadiums, tennis courts, and golf courses to play these Ball Games.”
And here is what they had to say about the Big Wheel. “Vroom, Vroom! In the 1960s, Ray Lohr, head designer for Louis Marx & Co., took apart a tricycle, mixed up the parts, and reassembled them into an upside-down trike that handled like a race car. Launched at the 1969 Toy Fair in New York City, the Big Wheel had a low-slung design that made for superior handling, giving kids a sense of independence and control that tippy old trikes could never deliver. By the following Christmas, children all over the country delighted in riding their new - “muscle trikes”. The Big Wheel remained Marx’s big seller for a decade.
But of course the Game Boy is the one we are really interested in, and here is what they had to say about why it won. “Nintendo Game Boy transformed the electronics-games market by popularizing handheld gaming. No videogame platform did more to put gamers on the go than this invention. And go they did, bringing their gaming experience to school, to summer camp, and to the back seat of the family automobile. Over the past two decades, Game Boy has become synonymous with handheld gaming fun. Its portability and efficient design, ability to allow simultaneous multiplayer gaming, and scores of intriguing games (like Tetris and Super Mario Land, featuring Nintendo’s already-iconic character Mario) make it a true innovator.”
It’s also worth noting that this induction is for the entire “Game Boy line” and includes improved hardware from the original design, including the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance/SP and Game Boy Micro. Now I wonder how long it’ll take before we see the DS included in this list.
It’s also pretty crazy that the Game Boy beat out some pretty stiff competition from the following toy nominees: Cabbage Patch Kids, Game of Life, Hot Wheels, Paper Airplane, Playing Cards, Rubik’s Cube, Sidewalk Chalk, Toy Tea Set, and Transformers.
In order to be chosen, The National Toy Hall of Fame at Strong National Museum of Play must recognize that toy as having engaged and delighted multiple generations. Inspiring them to learn, create, and discover through play. Criteria for induction include: Icon-status (the toy is widely recognized, respected, and remembered); Longevity (the toy is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over multiple generations); Discovery (the toy fosters learning, creativity, or discovery through play); and Innovation (the toy profoundly changed play or toy design).
To date, a total of 44 toys have been inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. They include: Article continues »
LEGO Indiana Jones 2 characters list
LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues has a cast of over 10 characters taken from all of the Indiana Jones movies, including the latest Kingdom of the Crystal Skull film.
The game will be released on Wii, DS, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, PC and iPhone on November 17, 2009. In addition to featuring a full-on level creator for the first time, it will also feature a split-screen view for the cooperative play. The game will also include all-new levels based on the original trilogy with no recycled levels from the first game. Which if you haven’t played the original, I highly recommend it as stated in my Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures review.
Here is a list of the playable characters in Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues:
1. Cairo Digger
2. Crystal Skull (Object)
3. Enemy Mechanic
4. Indiana Jones
5. Lao Che
6. Major Arnold Toht
7. Marion Ravenwood
8. Mola Ram
9. Mutt
10. Native
11. Professor Henry Jones Senior
12. Rene Belloq
13. Short Round
14. Spalko
15. Willie Scott
Here’s a trailer showing off the game in action!
